What i'm looking for is a Gaming Headset that supports 7.1 surround, has a good low and high range when it comes to the frequency response for music, and is Closed Design since my house is very loud and my bird is behind me where I sit at my computer. So I need a sound isolating headset so that if you were to be talking to me while I have the headset on, I wouldn't be able to hear you. My house and family are kinda loud at times so this is kind of important for me to have a sound isolating headset. I listen to a lot of my music in WAV and FLAC files and I appreciate quality music. My iTunes library is packed full of 2,200+ EDM tracks and I make sure that all the music I download is either WAV or MP3's with a CBR bit rate of 320kbps. I would prefer the headset have a mic but that is completely unnecessary if the headset is exactly what i'm looking for, I can just get a separate mic. I would prefer the ear cup material be made of that soft smooth leather/rubber material instead of felt/velvety/foam material.

So to sum it all up, i'm looking for a headset/pair of headphones that are all of the things below:

• Supports 7.1 Surround Sound for gaming.

• Sounds amazing for music by having a dynamic amount of a frequency response.

• Is closed design so no audio leaks outside the earcups.

• The earcup material be made of that soft leathery rubber material.

• Microphone is optional but preferred.

• Has a braided cable instead of a rubber coated cable. But it's optional if the headset is what i'm looking for.

• Is comfortable to wear for long periods of time (4 - 6 hours at a time for example)

• Is under $300 but if it's EXACTLY what i'm looking for I can go to $350.

I'v looked around for a while and i'v been recommended the Logitech G35's and Astro A40's. But i'v almost bought the Sennheiser PC 350 SE's.

Also the Razer Kraken 7.1's describe that they include everything I am looking for in a headset, but I have no idea how they are for music and the Freq Response is only 20-20hz.

Here are the Pros and Cons in the headsets that i'm having a really hard time deciding on.

Sennheiser PC 350 SE:

PROS:
• Claims to have precise and accurate audio for locating enemies footsteps and movements in game.
• The Freq Response says 10hz - 26.000hz so I would assume they would be good for Music.

• They are closed design and noise isolating.

• Earcup material matches what I want

• Has a nice mic.

• Braided Fiber cable.

• I'v read reviews that they seem to "hug" your head which give a secure and comfortable feeling. I wouldn't mind this at all.

• They are only $199 at best buy so I can trade in my Razer Cacharias and use my $50 BestBuy gift card and get these for only $80.

CONS:

• I'v heard they aren't even nearly as good as the PC 363D's Surround sound capabilities though. Also, i'v read reviews that the PC 350 SE's don't even compare to the the Astro A40 Surround sound.

Sennheiser PC 363D:

PROS:

• Claims to have the best surround sound in gaming headsets that Sennheiser has to offer, including 7.1 virtual surround sound.

• The Freq Response says 15hz - 28.000hz so I would assume they would be good for Music and also being able to hear Highs better than with the PC 350s.

• Nice microphone.

• Braided Fiber cable.

• Comfortable to wear for long periods of time as I have read in many, many reviews.

• The price is right. I can get them NEW at $175.

CONS:

• The earcup material is made of that foam velvet that i'v dealt with for many years and I don't find as comfortable anymore. The material collects lots of lint and kind of absorbs the oil from my hair if I skip a shower. Over a year and a half of wearing these I would not want to wear the earcups anymore from being so worn.

• The design is open so audio will leak from them and I will have to deal with the noise in the backround of my house which can be distracting me from the game at some times.

Astro A40's:

PROS:
• As heard from the media and many gamers, the surround sound is "state of the art", and doesn't get much better than this. Supports 7.1 Virtual Surround sound.

• The Freq Response says 15hz - 28.000hz. But i'v read that you can't really tell with this headset in some reviews. (Maybe the users just didn't have good soundcards.)

• They come with a MixAmp, "To bring you the next-gen audio experience."

• The material is correct for my liking.

• Has a pretty good mic from what i'v read.

CONS:

• I have heard many reviews that they are very mediocre for music, and any cheap studio headphones sound much better than the A40's for music.

• They are open designed so audio will leak from them and I will have to deal with the noise in the backround of my house which can be distracting me from the game at some times. But from what i'v read it isn't that bad.

• Cable is not braided.

• The price is right. I can get them new with the MixAmp for $200, but for that price and with all the cons it's just not worth it.

Logitech G35's:

PROS:

• They have 7.1 Virtual surround sound.

• The frequency response says 20hz - 20khz diffuse field equalized. My Razer Carcharias have the same thing and they sound good for music, but I know i'm not getting the full experience that I could be getting with a good pair of studio headphones or a better headset.

• The Material is within my liking.

• The microphone sounds nice and I know what it sounds like since my friend has the headset and has spoken to me on Skype.

• The cable is braided.

• They have 3 custom programmable buttons on the side that I could possibly use.

• They are comfortable to wear for a while from what I have read, but they don't look as comfortable as the Sennheiser PC 350 and 360s to me.

• The price is right. I can get these for $10 brand new by getting them from BestBuy and trading in my Carcharias.

CONS:

• They open designed but from what i'v heard it's not that bad and still cancels some noise.

• Not sure i'll be able to get the full experience with music.

Razer Kraken 7.1's:

PROS:

• Claim to have 7.1 Virtual surround sound.

• They have Razer Synapse which I could use along with my Razer Black Widow Ultimate keyboard and soon Razer Mamba or Taipan. (I can't decide).

• They have the right soft leathery material i'm looking for.

• They are closed design and claim to be noise isolating.

• They support Razer's surround sound software which I am fond of with the use of my Carcharias.

• Very good Microphone
• Braided Cable

• Extendable microphone and foldable earcups.

• The price is pretty low at $99.

CONS:

• The Freq response is yet again 20hz - 20khz diffuse field equalized so i'm not sure I will be the full experience out of the sound in my music and games. So i'm totally clueless when it comes to this.

• They are only $99. For this price they can't possibly be everything i'm looking for, or at least be as good as what I would expect them to be.

Now while I was gathering all this information and searching the specs of these Headsets I found that Sennheiser just came out with 2 new models of Gaming Headsets! They seem to be redone versions of the PC 350's and 360's.
I read the speculations on the Sennheiser G4ME ZERO's and they seem to be my DREAM HEADSET! They seem to have very similar specs to the PC 350 SE's.

Sennheiser G4ME ZERO's:

PROS:

• They claim to have new precise and accurate audio technology for locating enemies footsteps and movements in game.

• The Freq Response says 10hz - 26.000hz so I would assume they would be good for music and I will be getting the full sound experience out of what I am hearing.

• They claim to have, "Perfectly adjusted layers of memory foam ear padding to make sure sound doesn't leak from the headset." Of course they are closed designed and they are exactly what i'm looking for when it comes down to that.

• They have a new noise cancelling microphone so that it will only pick up your voice. It sounds pretty good to me.

• Braided Cable of course.

• Extra large earcups for plenty of room for your ears and maximum comfort.

• "Painted Steel earcup grids to let you hear even the faintest detail of your game." Not 100% sure what that means but it sounds good. lol

• Price is kinda up there for me at $280, but once I order them for store pickup at BestBuy, trade in my Carcharias which are $70, and use my $50 gift card, I can get these for only $160

CONS:

• Only thing I can think of that wasn't clearly stated was if they support 7.1 Virtual Surround sound. But i'm sure with a nice sound card and setup I will be able to get the fullest experience with this headset.

So if somebody could recommend me one of these headset or tell me about another headset that is exactly what i'm looking for, I would greatly appreciate it!

First off, I want to clear up some misconceptions you are having. First off, frequency response means nothing. Even if every single manufacturer based their FR off the same setup, it wouldn't matter because most humans can only hear 20hz-20khz, you aren't missing anything with 20khz+. Second, a gaming headset will sound like crap for music, it is better to have a gaming setup and a dedicated music setup. Now this may not be ideal, but you're not going to find that a gaming headset that will be a comparably priced set of headphones.

I don't care at all about portability and size so that's a plus as well.

Thank you for looking into this for me PurpleAngel!

I am very sure I will be going with these now since BestBuy does in fact carry these and I can trade my current headset along with using my $50 gift card to get $120 off.

One thing I question about this headset. Will they be able to produce powerful enough surround sound that is some what comparable to what I would have most likely gone with, (The Sennheiser G4ME ZERO Headset)?

I don't care at all about portability and size so that's a plus as well.

Thank you for looking into this for me PurpleAngel!

I am very sure I will be going with these now since BestBuy does in fact carry these and I can trade my current headset along with using my $50 gift card to get $120 off.

One thing I question about this headset. Will they be able to produce powerful enough surround sound that is some what comparable to what I would have most likely gone with, (The Sennheiser G4ME ZERO Headset)?

The A900X are only stereo headphones (which are great for music, but should also do the job for gaming)

The Bestbuy $210 price is better then the $250 I paid for my A900Xs

You would want to get the Xonar DG/DGX ($30-$40) or Creative Sound Blaster Z ($60-$80) sound card to do the headphone 5.1 surround sound processing, before the audio is sent to the headphones.

A sound card will easily match or exceed the audio quality of any "gaming" headset (cheap DAC chips).